


Broken Puppet

by Hezpeller



Category: Young Justice, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, future!fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-04
Updated: 2013-06-16
Packaged: 2017-12-13 14:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/825163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hezpeller/pseuds/Hezpeller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Artemis has always been told what to do. Tell them this, kill them, flirt, infiltrate, disappear. But as the stakes get higher, Artemis finds herself with no choice but to follow the orders she's given, and do what she's asked, no matter how many hearts she'll break. Years later, she meets someone from her past, but she made a promise to not reveal herself. Will Artemis be able to become her own person? Eventual Future!Fic</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this story was originally posted on FF.net, and I thought I'd post it here. I've made some changes to the original story I posted, just with grammar and whatnot, and voila!
> 
> Also, this story was first posted way back when we only had nine eps, so this takes place a few days after Bereft and all.
> 
> I hope everyone likes it!

_She was standing in a semi-darkened room, light enough to see what was happening. All her teammates were there, dead. She had checked each one personally, trying twice to find at least an inkling of a heartbeat, or a breath, but came up empty every time. She continued scanning the room, and dropped to her knees as she saw her mother, her wheelchair mangled up in the corner, her own form no longer living._

_A shadow came up behind her and spoke out, "There's no use running away from the truth. I taught you, and trained you for this. You were kidding yourself if you thought you could run away."_

_Artemis' hands curled up into fists as she heard her father. He was mocking her! "You monster!" She yelled out, as she stood up and turned around to punch him, but there was no one there._

_"You think you can defeat me? Try again." Artemis heard her father's voice taunt her, but he was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Next thing she knew, she had her mother's wheelchair flying at her in full speed, but her feet were rooted to the ground. She couldn't move! She tried to protect herself from the flying projectile with her arms, and heard herself start screaming as the wheelchair came hurling at her._

==Artemis' Room

Artemis woke up with a yelp, tangled in her covers. She tried steadying her breath, since it was coming out heavy and shallow. It was just a nightmare, she kept telling herself, but the terrible thing was that she didn't have to use much of her imagination to see this happen. Her father was right, she couldn't run away. She was a puppet, and although she had escaped, she knew it wouldn't be long before they butted heads once more.

All her life, she had been serving someone's interests. She could never really tell the truth, mainly because by now, she wasn’t even sure what the truth was anymore. People had agendas for her and her lies. Her father trained her to become the perfect assassin, testing her so much that it became something procedural. She had been converted into a killing machine, until she ran away to live with her mother.

Life was pretty good there. At least she didn't need to murder people, and have unending training sessions at the most ungodly hours of the day. However, her mother was no picnic. She wanted Artemis to be the best in other areas, such as in her academics. She had this way of getting you to do what she wanted, and since she was crippled, it was the least Artemis could do in order to keep her happy. She couldn't stay at the school she wanted, since her mother wanted her to have a better education, and so she had to ditch her friends for the education the scholarship offered.

Her friends at school had no idea of her past, since they would be mortified at learning the things she had done, so she had to force herself to act like a normal chick who thought only about guys, and what she was going to be doing in the summer.

Once she became a crime-fighter, she thought that she would be able to open up a bit more with her teammates. But, Batman and Green Arrow added more lies to her growing pile of secrets, such as making her the famous archer's niece, and no one, except for Roy, was the wiser. She had no liberty over her life. She had a number of roles made out for her, and she played them according to where she was and who she was with, she had no other choice.

Who was the real Artemis? She certainly had no idea. She was a concoction of lies, made to look like a normal being. Her only defence was fighting, whether it was beating up some thief, or arguing with Wally, she had the freedom to be just a person with an opinion. Megan wanted Artemis to be her sister, but it was useless, she had no idea how to be in a normal family, and she could bet her best bow that the Martian's family was more normal than hers. She wanted nothing more than to live a simple life, but her father's words resounded: "There's no use."

She groaned as she laid back down on the bed. He was right. She could try pretending all she wanted. She was a fiddle, and everyone else played their tune on it.

She sometimes just wanted to let all her secrets out, let other people deal with her problems, but she knew the consequences would be too drastic for her to do that. No one would trust her anymore, and she would be left alone and bitter.

She was a puppet, but she was trying her hardest to break free, and she wouldn't let her father keep her caged, surrounded by all her fears and secrets. How long to freedom? How long to make this nightmare end?

No matter what, she wouldn't go down without a fight. She was Artemis, named after the famous Goddess of the Hunt, and if she was going to make anyone pay, it would be her father, and she wouldn't give up until she was free. She would become her own person, and agendas be damned if she was going to stay anyone's pawn.

It was the only thing she had to keep her going, but she was a survivor, she would find a way. If she could live through all of this, she would make it through, without anyone being hurt.

 


	2. Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These updates are quick because they're just basically me editing the chapters that already existed, so here's the second one!
> 
> The italicized parts are mind link convos.

==Metropolis

Another long night, that's what it'd end up being. Artemis sighed as she continued surveying the area around the park, perched on a tree, while her teammates were also doing the same thing, although they were conversing amongst themselves on the mind link. After her nightmare last night, Artemis hadn't been capable of sleeping, for fear of having that bastard show up again. So, she was in a cranky mood, and the rest of the team could tell, though not for what reason.

_Only environmentalists decide to hold a meeting with their supplier in a park._ Wally grumbled in their mental link.

_Yeah, they really need a more creative meeting place._ Robin chuckled.

_Especially when you think about the lack of secrecy of it all, anyone could come in at any time and watch them._ Kaldur also nodded.

_Kind of like how we're doing._ Superboy pointed out.

_And there's so many people that are still here. I just hope they don't start shooting at them to leave._ Megan worriedly noted, grimacing.

_Don't worry babe, if they get hurt, I'll save them._ Wally cockily noted, looking Megan’s way.

Everyone in the team was waiting with bated breath for Artemis' smart rebuttal, for her to tell Wally that he was incapable of saving his own butt, but they got nothing from the archer.

And obviously, Wally had to go and prod her for it. _So Artemis, you're not going to chew me over tonight? Decided to go for a 'leave Wally alone day?'_

_West, if you want to live to see tomorrow, you'll shut up._ Artemis growled, getting the whole team to flinch.

_Hey come on, I was just checking-_ Wally started to say, trying to lighten the mood.

Suddenly, he felt someone jump to his branch, and shove him up against the trunk, grasping his neck, and once his vision cleared, he saw Artemis, her eyes blazing in anger, her mouth curled into a snarl. You could her growl even on the mind link as she enunciated I'm not in the mood for your jokes West.

Wally couldn't even defend himself. He was wildly grasping at Artemis’ arm, trying to loosen her hold on his neck, but her grip was as firm as Superboy’s. His legs flailed around wildly, and while under any other circumstances he would’ve come up with some move to get out of this hold, he was too shocked by the fact that his own teammate was trying to hurt him badly, if not trying to kill him.

Plus, she never called him West unless she was really pissed off, which meant that this didn't bode well for him.

_Artemis!_ Aqualad's voice rang out. _We're not here to murder each other. Put Wally down and let's just focus on the mission._

_Fine._ Artemis reluctantly agreed, and went back to her former branch, leaving Wally gasping for air and looking bewildered.

_Here they come!_ Megan's voice rang out.

Although these guys looked like they couldn't put together a bookcase without breaking something, they were well known for their pranks against all the major companies of the world that helped to destroy the environment in their own way. They were wearing Earth Day shirts, trying to appear inconspicuous. They all dispersed around the clearing, majority of the men going around the perimeter and looking out, giving their bosses privacy and to stop any intruders. The remaining men, four of them or so, stayed in the middle, conversing amongst themselves, waiting for their supplier. They had a trunk with them, deposited on the grass carefully, and the team could tell that whatever was in there was dangerous.

Their mission briefing had been simple. The Light had suddenly become interested in these two-bit environmentalists, supposedly because they had a weapon that would be very useful to the Light’s ends, and the Team was sent to spy on them and find out what the weapon was, without engaging with either group.

_And the man of the hour is where?_ Wally asked as he surveyed the scene, looking for their mysterious supplier.

_There!_ Robin pointed out to where he saw a figure emerge.

Artemis was sure that someone up there must truly hate her. But she was thankful that she was trained to control her emotions, or else she would've reacted in what her teammates would consider suspicious.

_It's Sportsmaster!_ Superboy exclaimed, growling a bit at the memory of their last meeting.

_Is there anyone this guy doesn't work for?_ Wally wondered, exasperated, recalling their mission to Santa Prisca.

_Remember, we're here for recon only, not to fight them._ Aqualad spoke out as a reminder to the team. And good thing too, because Artemis was ready to impale the man, though she was she sure she wouldn't be successful.

_Let's try to listen and find out anything more about them._ Megan said as they all refocused on the scene playing out below them.

However, Artemis was only paying attention to the hated man that she supposedly should consider as her father, and saw him glance towards them, and seemed to lock eyes in Artemis' direction. Artemis instinctively pushed herself further back, trying to blend in with the foliage. She sighed as Sportsmaster turned back to the environmentalists, seemingly having not seen their team.

"Sportsmaster! You have the money?" One of the four men asked as Sportsmaster stopped in front of the men in the middle of the clearing, carrying a heavy-looking suitcase.

"Yes, and you have the weapons?" Sportsmaster chuckled, a sound that still made Artemis' skin crawl.

"Yep, shall we?" Another man gestured to the chest.

"First." Sportsmaster drew a gun, from his inside his coat. "Let's get rid of some pesky little heroes first shall we?" And he fired the gun a couple of times, straight at them.

She knew that her father wouldn't miss, and she had to warn the rest of the team. _DUCK!_ Artemis exclaimed, nocking some arrows into her bow and firing towards each of the seven bullets.

The bullets and the arrows collided into an explosion that lit up the sky around them, revealing the heroes.

"Get them!" One of the environmentalists screamed at the goons.

_We fail at recon._ Superboy spoke out, as they went into battle.

_No, our little careless archer here was the one that revealed us!_ Wally bitterly exclaimed.

_Shut up West, you'd be dead if it wasn't for my arrows_. Artemis bit back, not in the mood for a pointless argument.

_Fight first, blame and affections later!_ Robin told them, smirking.


	3. Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, this took a longer while, but I got distracted.
> 
> So, part 3! Mind link convos are italics.
> 
> Also, thanks for the kudos!

_Bird Boy, you're so dead._ Artemis growled, nocking more arrows onto her bow, and firing at the environmentalists. They managed to dodge it, but they still went down hard, allowing the rest of the team to advance.

_Did I strike a nerve?_ Robin smirked, doing a roundhouse kick to one of the goons he was fighting. Artemis was clearly riled up by something, though no one could tell exactly what it was. The environmentalists were left fending themselves off, while Sportsmaster just disappeared into the shadows, but no one considered him to be an issue, except for Artemis, who was trying to locate the hated man.

_Psh, are you kidding me?_ Wally exclaimed sarcastically, dodging one guy's attempt to attack him using a branch. _She's never this kind to me!_

_West, I can make a perfect hit to you from here without moving a millimetre, right now, if you don't shut up._ Artemis threatened, nocking more arrows.

_Enough!_ Aqualad was once again the voice of reason, his voice somewhat strained as he tried to not only keep up with the conversation, but also take on two guys at once.

_How about instead of murdering us, you focus on them!_ Superboy snapped to Artemis, as he released a feral growl and jumped another environmentalist.

"Hopefully that guy has insurance." Wally flinched, hearing a lot of cracks from that the guy Superboy attacked.

Suddenly Artemis screamed out. Everyone on the team looked towards her direction, even Wally, and they saw Artemis fending herself from Sportsmaster, who had managed to catch her unaware, and they jumped down from the tree, fighting.

Wally just rolled his eyes and continued fighting before anyone could take advantage of his loss of attention. Of course the newbie had not been paying attention to her surroundings and allowed herself to get caught by surprise by Sportsmaster.

The rest of the team assured themselves that Artemis was holding on and continued fighting, allowing Artemis and her hated father to continue sparring.

"You haven't improved at all. I would've at least expected you to keep your form, but it seems that you've gotten worse. Betrayal often does that." Sportsmaster smirked under his mask, grabbing a baseball bat from the duffle bag on his back, and started swinging towards her.

"Funny, I was going to say the same about you." Artemis growled. "Except I wasn't going to call it betrayal, more like you've become more heartless, if that was possible."

Sportsmaster narrowed his eyes. "You're going to pay for your insolence, girl. I will teach you a lesson so bad, you won't ever forget it." He lunged, taking a swing at her head.

Artemis didn't know how, but being the hero made her bolder to stand up to her father than she had ever been able to do for years. She easily dodged his swing, sidestepping him. "If your previous teachings did nothing to me, what makes you think that this time it'll work?"

"Because this time, I'll emotionally cripple you if you dare defy me AGAIN!" Sportsmaster lost his temper and swung the bat wildly towards Artemis, but with full force. Fortunately, Artemis once again managed to step out of the way, but went a step further and kicked him forward, leading to him his balance and stumbled. However, the whole team had heard Sportsmaster's last line, and they all had their brows furrowed in confusion, and distrust.

And yet, Artemis was too engrossed in the fight to notice that she was being overheard by her teammates. "Because all these years, you've been doing what exactly?" Artemis retorted. Now she was becoming infuriated, and that made her more careless to her surroundings.

"And you thought she was mean to you." Robin whispered to Wally, smirking.

"Dude!" Wally shushed Robin, trying to continue listening to the conversation. The environmentalists had been all knocked out, so they were just watching.

Sportsmaster though, had realized that the heroes were listening in. He smirked and drove his point home, "I don't give out tactics to my enemies."

Artemis looked confused. "What the hell are you talking-" Artemis then followed his line of sight, saw the rest of the team, all looking at her with betrayal in their eyes. Artemis turned to her friends and started to explain to them "Guys-"

Sportsmaster took his opportunity and grabbed the bat he had dropped, standing up.

Megan then screamed out "Artemis, behind you!"

And before anyone could move to help, those that were willing to help, Artemis fell unconscious, due to Sportsmaster's baseball bat hitting the back of her head. He smirked and then ran away, carrying the trunk that the environmentalists had walked in with, and his own suitcase.

"What the heck just happened?" Superboy asked, confused.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, that little impostor has the answer." Wally growled, and was resisting the urge to yell out to everyone 'I told you so.'

"But we still need to get her to the mountain." Kaldur stated, going near Artemis and checking for her pulse, while M’gann, who had instantly rushed over, had been checking the back of her head for injuries.

"She could be faking all of this!" Wally exclaimed. "She's in cahoots with him! Why would you want to help the enemy?"

"Look KF, I don't trust her either, but she deserves the benefit of the doubt." Robin explained.

"I never doubted that she wasn't to be trusted!" Wally retorted.

"Wally, she's, she must have a reason for this...do you really think Artemis is evil, after all she's done?" Megan asked, quietly, but enough to be heard.

"She's a damn good actress, and plus, can you seriously see her as being kind?" Wally shook his head. He also recalled in Bialya, and all about her father wanting her to kill people. He held back on saying this, planning on showing how capable he was by revealing this when she least expected it.

"We'll discuss this at the cave. Now we need to get her some medical attention" Kaldur explained, coming back to stand with them, and as he saw Wally about to counter what he said, he added. "Yes, we are going to help her. She deserves that."

Wally just sighed as he saw Superboy pick up the unconscious archer, and follow Megan back to the ship. Robin and Aqualad also went towards the bioship, talking in a whisper. Wally resignedly followed, wondering what the hell would happen now, and how Artemis was planning on getting out of this one.


	4. Questioning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter doesn't really have much going on, it's more to explain the next mission, and then things'll start moving forward.

==Mount Justice

Artemis groaned as she regained consciousness. Her head pounded from the hit her dear father gave her, and from the anticipation of the migraine she’d get as her teammates began giving her the third degree trying to figure out what Sportsmaster was talking about. She was in the medical wing of the mountain, or so she gauged, due to the type of bed she was in, and the many medical machines that were around the room, though thankfully, she wasn't attached to any of them.

"Artemis?" Artemis whipped her head to the doorway, where Megan was standing, apprehensive.

"Hey." Artemis replied, not making eye contact. "How long have I been out?"

"A couple of days. But we were told there was nothing serious, and as soon as you're better, you can leave. Are you feeling ok?" Megan asked.

"I'm fine." Artemis bit back, though not as forceful as one would've expected from her.

Suddenly, a blast of wind entered the room, and a very pissed Wally was standing at the foot of her bed. "Well, then, if you're fine, then you won't mind answering some questions."

Artemis pursed her lips. "About?"

"What Sportsmaster was talking about, you know, 'dare defy me again.' Ring any bells?" Wally narrowed his eyes, as if by making his face more serious, Artemis would answer him.

"Geez Wally, leave us behind, why don't you?" Robin and the rest of the group had also come in, all of them looking tired, but fell quiet once they saw surveyed the scene before them.

"Anyone have a knife somewhere so I can cut a bit out of the tension here?" Artemis sarcastically asked.

"Don't change the subject!" Wally exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"Let me guess Baywatch, you're trying to be 'bad cop'? I thought 'good cop' was supposed to come in first?" Artemis looked bored at Wally's antics. She kept her face serious as she continued, "But if you must know, I was doing undercover work for Green Arrow some months ago, and you can guess that Sportsmaster wasn't happy when he found out, so he's been swearing revenge ever since."

Wally wasn't buying this for one second. "And your father wanting to kill me story? Was that also part of your undercover work?"

The rest of the team was quiet. They knew that Wally was very angry at what happened, mainly because he was the only one in the team who had refused to accept Artemis, and now that he had enough reasons to back his suspicions up, he was on fire.

"How many times do I have to explain?" Artemis exclaimed. "I was confused with an old movie!"

"You'll need to repeat it as many times as it takes to actually come up with a plausible answer that I’ll believe." Wally replied.

"I don't have to explain anything to you Baywatch, I don't see you waving your personal life around for the masses to see." Artemis had given up on reasoning with him, and was now just looking to have the final word, the same way their arguments always worked.

"So? At least I don't hang around trash like Sportsmaster!" Wally exclaimed, having nothing else to defend himself with.

Artemis scoffed. "I think he's the world's most worthless piece of trash, so there's no argument there. But I don't need to be sharing with you why I do what I do, especially to an immature kid like you."

"Why you-" Wally growled.

"Enough." Batman had entered the room, and was looking pissed, or at least angrier than he usually looked.

Wally whipped around, and rounded off on the Batman himself. "How can you trust her? She's in cahoots with Sportsmaster!"

The team now knew that Wally had gone too far. Wally himself flinched and mumbled something unintelligible that sounded suspiciously like a 'sorry.'

"I have my reasons, and that should be enough." Batman stoically replied. "Meet me at the hangar bay in 10, you've got another mission."

As soon as Batman left, Wally turned his scowling face back to Artemis, who was already getting up from her bed, and although her body was protesting a bit to the strain, she’d never reveal her moment of weakness, especially to Wally. "Batman may trust you for whatever reason, but I still think you're hiding something."

Artemis rolled her eyes, and as she passed by him, she smirked. "Sure, don't believe the most paranoid man on Earth, and yeah, I'm hiding something. You see, you know what my big secret is? I wear green socks."

Wally just stared dumbfounded at the retreating archer, mouth agape at the very nerve of the girl. Robin was giggling as always, and the rest of the team was also smiling. At least some of the tension seemed to have vanished.

==Some minutes later

The team was all assembled at the place Batman assigned, and were falling asleep, as it was very late at night. However, the second he came in, everyone was alert and awake.

"We don't have a lot to go on here, but we know that something is going down in the outskirts of Gotham. You need to check out what's going on, and report back, and not to engage with the enemy. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Was heard from everyone.

"Good. You'll leave now, and head directly for the coordinates I have added. And don't start creating chaos." Batman was trying to drill into their heads that point that much was clearly noted. "And if you have any issues with other team members, don't bring them up now, where you'll jeopardize the mission. Understood?"

Another chorus of 'yes sir’s was heard.

"Good." Batman nodded and left without another word.

==Outskirts of Gotham.

Sportsmaster was looking at the chaos he had caused, and smirked. He would teach his daughter a lessons she would never forget.


	5. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly done uploading these! Just have one more chapter, and then the chapter after that, which is a new chapter, is already written and will be uploaded soon!

==En route

The whole team was quiet as they travelled to the outskirts of Gotham, and the quietest of all was Artemis, who was wondering what nasty plan her wonderful father had up his sleeve. Oh yes, Artemis was sure that her father was the one in Gotham, since she knew that now, it was personal, and he wouldn't rest until he had her killed, or at least made her wish she were dead.

Artemis didn't even dare to steal a glance at her teammates, since she knew that they'd be either glaring at her, or using Megan's com-link to have their private discussion. It made her angry that they didn't trust her. Was she doomed to be considered a villain, just because of her past?

As they neared their destination, Kaldur stood up, and cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Since we're nearing Gotham, I think it's best that we start planning on how we're going to tackle this.

"I believe that Robin and I should go down closer to check out what is going on. Superboy and Kid Flash, you're on ground lookout, Miss Martian, you'll provide us with a mental link and keep watch from above-"

"And let me guess, I get the incredible honour of keeping the engine running, a task tailored just for me, the one you don't trust." Artemis sarcastically added.

Kaldur looked uncomfortable for a moment, but then cleared his throat. "No, you get to keep watch from above as well, but since you're unable to fly-"

"Wonderful deduction there Sherlock, what's next? 'Your archery skills are better at a distance, which is why you're far away?'" Artemis once again interrupted, her anger clearly showing. "A great idea for a foggy night, genius."

Kaldur sighed, and pinched his nose, not wanting to get into an argument with Artemis. He then thought better about it, and looked at Artemis straight in the eye. "Not everything that we're doing is something against you. If you must know, I am trying to keep you back because you've been injured, and although it's nothing serious, these kind of things build up, and if you get hurt again, it will be something much worse, and I don't want to deal with the guilt of having you get hurt just because I didn't want to make you feel like we don't trust you."

"Count me out of that statement." Wally scoffed. "I don't trust her, and until she tells me what's she's hiding, I'm not-"

"No one asked for your opinion Baywatch." Artemis retorted. "And plus, I can take care of myself, I don't need to be benched just because I've been hurt."

"But as your leader, I am ordering you to get up on a high building nearby, and wait for my signal." Aqualad ordered, and the matter was closed.

==Outskirts of Gotham

Sportsmaster was preparing his weapons while waiting, and then noticed the subtle outline of an invisible ship some blocks down. His trained eyes were no match for the invisibility powers of Martians. He knew where to look for discrepancies among the empty space to find them. He smirked widely as he noticed that people were dropping down from the spaceship, and got up from where he was, going to put his plan into action. He entered an alleyway, ready into spring into action the minute they got closer. He was glad that it was a foggy night, making the alleyway harder to look at, meaning his stuff was even more hidden.

==Some blocks down

 _Alright, everyone online?_ Aqualad asked, getting everyone to respond with a non-committal answer.

Robin and Aqualad then ran off towards the exact coordinates Batman had sent them, while the rest of the team got into position.

As Artemis got to the top of the building, she sighed. This wasn't going to end well, she was sure of it.

==Back to the Alleyway

Sportsmaster heard the footfalls of two people, and gripped his baseball bat tighter, waiting. He checked to make sure the substance on his bat was still fresh. He timed his countdown with their footsteps: 3, 2-

"One." Sportsmaster smirked, and jumped out from his hiding spot.

==With the Bioship

Some screams and yells were heard, and Superboy narrowed his eyes. Wally wasted no time, and had already sped off.

 _Kid Flash! Wait!_ Megan tried to call him back, but it was no use.

 _I'll go after him._ Superboy stated, and ran off, trying to catch up to the impulsive speedster.

==The alleyway

Wally was staring around the foggy alleyway, wondering where his friends could've gone, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Go away Supey." Wally brushed him off, not even turning around to look.

When the tapping wouldn't stop, he turned around, and was met with a baseball bat, followed by darkness.

==One block down

Superboy heard the crack of what seemed like a baseball bat, and stopped. He was sure this was a trap, but he was more resistant than his teammates, so he walked forth, determined to see if he could somehow, defeat this assailant.

He went into the dark alleyway nearby, and was surprised to find his three other teammates bound to a pole smack in the middle of the alley. They all seemed to be knocked out, and as he neared them, he heard a faint sound behind him. He turned around to catch the attacker by surprise and saw Sportsmaster, a hose in hand.

"What the-" Was all Superboy got out before he was engulfed in some form of smoke, and promptly joined his friends in slumber.

==Back at the Bioship

Megan was getting worried. She wasn't able to contact any of her friends, and so flew up to where Artemis was sitting, looking distracted and out of it.

"Artemis?" Megan tentatively asked.

Artemis jumped up quickly, nocked an arrow to her bow, and pointed it at Megan, her face a mask of anger, vainly trying to hide the fear clearly there. Before Megan could react, Artemis realized who she was pointing at, and relaxed.

"Sorry," Artemis apologized. "I thought you were someone else."

"It quite alright." Megan brushed it off, even though this made her rethink as to what Wally had said about not being able to trust her. She shook her head and continued. "I think the rest of the team is in trouble."

"And you want to go check it out?" Artemis sighed.

"No, I want us both to go check it out." Megan corrected her.

Artemis looked like she was having an internal battle with herself. "I suppose so."

"Yay!" Megan exclaimed, and grabbed Artemis' hand, dragging her.

Artemis stiffened as she notices that Megan's about to go off the ledge. "Megan, not a good idea-Ah!"

"Relax," Megan laughed. "I've got you."

They then readjusted themselves so that Megan was carrying Artemis by slipping her arms under her shoulders, so that Artemis could attack anyone if they saw them.

They went in the same direction that their teammates had gone off to, trying to see what had happened.

==The Alleyway

Robin cracked his eyes open, and groaned, feeling immense pain from where the baseball bat had made contact with his left arm.

He tried to move, but found that he was unable to, due to heavy rope around his torso. He could tell there was a little slack but nothing that'd allow him to break free. At least not yet. He looked to either side of him, and saw Kaldur to his left, groaning as he also woke up, sporting a bruise on his upper right arm, and Wally, out cold, his head dangling.

Robin started to look at his surroundings, and saw that they were tied to a thick light post in a wide alleyway. He then gasped as he saw Superboy knocked out in front of them, a bruise on his lower jaw, and being bound by none other than Sportsmaster.

"YOU!" Robin growled, getting the former to stand up, and smirk.

"And the bird boy awakens. How nice. Now all I need to do is catch the Martian girl and that good for nothing excuse for a human being, and maybe I'll let the rest of you live. But that is, only if you comply with my orders."

"We'll never follow your orders. " Aqualad defiantly stated, getting Sportsmaster to snort.

"You don't have much of a choice, do you boy? You have weaknesses, and I know just how to exploit them." Sportsmaster finished tying Superboy up, and was grabbing more rope to attach him to the pole.

"Gah!" And Wally had awakened.

"Now the Speedster joins the party, how nice." Sportsmaster sarcastically adds, slamming Superboy's body into the pole, and starts to tie him up. He passes the new rope over the existing one, which just made it more constricting for the three heroes.

"Let them go!" Artemis came crashing down, arched with her bow high above her, ready to strike.

As they made contact, Artemis swiped at him, making contact with the man’s skull, getting Sportsmaster to go crashing against the wall. However, as hard as she could’ve hit, his mask took the blunt, so he wasn’t even dazed. "Well, what do we have here?The waste of a human being."

"Jeez, I didn't know you started referring to yourself in the third person." Artemis smirked, getting her father to growl, and start to take out a spear from his bag.

His eyes then flicked towards the light pole and smirked. "So you're the distraction now eh?"

With that, Sportsmaster lunged the spear straight at Miss. Martian, who had been invisible at the time, trying to free her friends. However, Sportsmaster saw this, and had taken advantage of the opportunity.

The weapon exploded, and Miss. Martian went flying into the pole, and as she hit it, she was knocked out.

"Five down, one to go." Sportsmaster taunted. He reached into his pocket to check for something, and waited for his daughter to attack.

She did, using her bow once again, but he was prepared, and dodged her, kicking and punching her for a while before sticking a needle onto her arm.

She fell with a thud, temporarily paralyzed, and her father mirthlessly laughed, fingering the syringe he had taken out of his pocket. "Like it? A new paralyzing drug our scientists thought of."

Artemis could hardly move her mouth to make a scowl, let alone tell him where exactly he could stick the paralyser.

"Now, to finish you once and for all." Sportsmaster chuckled. "Ah my daughter-"

"What does your daughter have to do with this?" Robin piped up.

Sportsmaster growled. "Oh you mean she hasn't told you then?" He picked Artemis by the back of her costume, and shoved her limp body towards her teammates. "Meet my daughter."

Artemis couldn't even call their expressions shock. It almost bordered on a cross of fear, and disappointment.

"You'd kill your own daughter?" Aqualad asked, disgust written all over his face, as always, the first to regain his composure.

"She has betrayed me, and decides to join you boy-scouts instead of sticking where she really belongs. She's my daughter only by blood, but she means nothing to me."

"Harsh dude." Kid Flash grimaces.

"I thought you hated my daughter, and would be glad to see her demise." Sportsmaster mocked, dropping Artemis with a thud.

"I'd never let anyone die on my watch." Kid Flash knit his brows together, a serious look on his face.

"And yet, you're about to get the first strike on your record. I wonder how many strikes the Justice League'll let you have before they won't accept you?"

"Not today." Kid Flash stated, as he began to vibrate his molecules through the rope. Some seconds later he broke free, blood running from his nose, anger in his eyes as he laid punch after punch on Sportsmaster.

With Kid Flash free, Robin used his acrobatic skills and nimble body to duck under the ropes, giving enough leeway for Aqualad to also escape as well. The three started their intensive attack on Sportsmaster, getting the man to use a teleporter to escape.

As he was leaving, he laughed mirthlessly, and added, “Don’t worry, I’ll give my daughter what she deserves, one way or another, whenever she least expects it, no matter who I have to crush.”

"He's gone?" Wally was surprised, looking at where the villain stood not two moments ago. He'd have thought Sportsmaster would put up more of a fight. He looked towards Artemis and saw that Aqualad was tending to her injuries.

"Is she alright?" Wally asked.

"She's out, but I'm hoping she'll recover. We should get everyone to the bioship and back to the mountain as soon as we can to treat them."

Just then, Superboy woke up from stupor, and while Aqualad used his water-bearers to free Superboy, and Robin explained what had happened.

Wally meanwhile was fussing over Artemis, hoping she was okay. He completely misunderstood her, she was only trying to change for good, get away from the villainous life her dad had shoved her into, and he felt like an idiot for it.

Superboy took Megan into his arms, and Wally was chosen to carry Artemis. The other two boys had been bruised on their arms, and were not sure how much their strength would hold out.

Once they got to the mountain, they nearly collapsed in front of the Justice League, but the adults became quite understanding, and immediately took everyone and checked to see if they were fine.

Everyone’s injuries were minor, but Batman was already making plans, and going to visit a certain Paula Crock.


	6. Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Final chapter edited, next one will be an actual update of the story.

==Medical Bay

Artemis couldn't believe she was here again after such a short period of time. But the mood was much more somber today, and Batman was the only person there, standing a few meters from the foot of her bed. The room was dark, and the archer was sure that Batman wasn't here to give her get well wishes.

"We've arranged for you to go into a relocation program and-"

"Hang on, I am NOT going to relocate anywhere!" Artemis panicked. She wouldn't let Batman finish his sentence. She had to put her foot down now.

But she should've known Batman wasn't easily swayed. "You're in danger-"

"I've been in danger plenty of times before, and much worse cases." Artemis crossed her arms, not looking him in the eye.

"You're a liability to everyone's safety." Batman had her in a fixed position. He knew she didn't give one thought about her own state, but if others were in danger, she listened. She might be too stubborn to follow orders anyway, but she listened.

Artemis still tried to search for loopholes. This couldn’t be happening. "Sportsmaster's attacking me, big deal. He's been trying to kill me ever since I left!"

"But never twice in one day." The Dark Knight countered.

"I pissed him off-"

"Enough. Your mother's already agreed to this-"

"You dragged my mom into this?" Artemis yelped, sitting up on the bed, pain shooting through her.

"He won't rest, even if it means crippling her even further. You'll be given new identities, you are not to contact any of your old friends, neighbours, and especially, no one from the team."

"Wait, what? Why can't I contact them?" Artemis choked out, flabbergasted.

"The team won't be notified of the real reason you left, just that you have given up the hero business, and won't want to be contacted."

"Like they'll buy it. Listen, I can deal with this-"

"No." Batman walked up to her, and Artemis felt a chill down her spine. She considered herself brave, but the Batman was a whole other level. "We won't let you endanger the team."

Artemis had to admit Batman had a point. Hardheaded she might be, selfish she wasn't. "Fine. How long do I have to do this for?"

"Until Sportsmaster's gone."

"But that could take years!" Artemis' eyes widened. How could she have let this happen?

"Yes, but as a hero, we sometimes need to make sacrifices. Even if it includes giving up our old lives." Batman's gaze did not soften, though there was something in his voice that told Artemis that this was something a little too close to home for Gotham's hero.

"Fine, I'll do it for a little while, and then once I get this-"

"You won't be going after him."

"What? Why not! I'm getting revenge-"

"And once he finds you, your cover will be blown." Batman's eyes narrowed. "You'll stay as a civilian, until the League solves this."

Artemis knew arguing would get her nowhere, so she sat back on her bed, crossing her arms in a huff. "Ok, fine, I'll stay still. How's this going to work?"

Batman walked over to the door, and opened it, giving way to Black Canary. "Black Canary will be in charge of your transition. I'll be coming over in a week to see how you're adjusting."

Dinah smiled when the door closed, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Alright, I'm not sure how familiar you are with this-"

"You get a new identity, new look, new home, and you stay there, not causing any trouble." Artemis sighed, sinking back into her pillows.

"Well, we're going to need to die your hair-"

"What?" Artemis was getting tired of all of these decisions being made without her consent.

Dinah tried to give a sympathetic smile, and plowed on. "You're also going to have to trim your hair a bit, just past shoulder length, and maybe style some side bangs-"

"Alright! I get it! You're going to butcher my hair!" Artemis had her hands up, palms forward, not really interested in hearing the stylistic choices.

"Let's move on then to your identity. Your new name will be Linda Park, and your mom will be Lisa Park. Your dad was John Park, an accountant, but he left."

Artemis could only nod, they had everything planned out for her, she wasn't going to define anything, was she?

"You'll be moved to Keystone City, we've already got an apartment picked out. Everything's been moved there."

"Do I get to choose anything here?" Artemis let out a choked sob.

She couldn't believe it. Here she was, about to be sent off to another city, to live a whole other life as someone else, just because her dad tried to kill her various times. She pulled the covers off of herself and stumbled to the door, ignoring the tears that were about to fall, not caring where she was headed.

She just wrenched the door open, and ran out, ignoring the pain shooting through her, just headed anywhere. Maybe if she kept on running, and everyone gave up, she'd be able to escape this cruel punishment. That's what she was beginning to consider this as, a punishment for being the victim of her father's mad schemes.

She heard many sets of feet rushing towards her, people calling out for her, and ducked into the Library, taking the stairs three at a time, squatting on her landing, and ducked behind one of the bookshelves, panting silently.

The door opened again, and closed shortly after. She couldn't see who had come in, but she kept quiet nonetheless.

"Artemis?" It was Captain Marvel, she could distinguish the childish tone that was always inexplicably there. "Are you here?"

"I'm not going with them." Artemis mumbled.

She heard him sigh. "Come on Artemis, this is for your own good! You'll be safer this way!"

"No, I wouldn't. I'd just be pushed around further."

"Look, the League knows what they're doing, they would be making you do this otherwise!" Marvel was coming closer, and Artemis picked up a hardcover book, ready to swing it like a baseball bat at him.

"I'll never do it."

"Artemis, the League knows what they're doing!" Captain Marvel exclaimed, maybe a bit louder than he had intended.

The doors suddenly burst open, and Artemis cursed her bad luck when she heard Wally's annoying voice ask, "Is she here?"

Captain Marvel turned and walked back to the staircase. "I don't think so. Any luck on your end?"

"No, she's just making herself look guilty!" Wally exclaimed, hitting the door.

"Guilty?"

"Yeah! No one knows why she escaped, and you guys aren't telling us, so we all think Artemis is guilty of something and running away."

"No! She-uh, it's classified information Wally. She's not guilty-"

"Then why is she running away?" Wally's voice was deeper, more serious now. He clearly meant business.

Artemis could now strangely understand the situation. If she stayed, she wouldn't hear the end of the team berating her, questioning her. If she left, would she really lose that much?

She had a small group of friends, but they were now gone since she moved into Gotham Academy, and no one there gave a rat's ass about her, she was the charity case.

As for the team, they didn't trust her, and although she enjoyed being a hero, her mom was much more important.

She heard the door slam as Wally left, and snapped back to reality. She walked out from the depth of her bookshelf, and spotted Captain Marvel standing there, smiling softly. "Don't worry, they'll come around."

Artemis didn't trust her voice fully, so she nodded, and managed to choke out: "Can- can we maybe avoid everyone? I-I don't want them to start questioning me."

The older hero nodded, and beckoned her closer. "Come on, we can take the quieter hallways."

==Keystone City

Artemis looked herself in the mirror, and still couldn't believe it. Her hair was just as Dinah described it. Just past her shoulders, with side bangs. But the biggest difference was the colour. It was now jet black, and thanks to a special mixture the League used, her hair would be like this for a long while.

"Do you like the view?" Paula- or rather Lisa, asked, wheeling into her room.

Artemis smiled, "Yeah, it's much better than our old apartment."

"It is." Her mom grasped Artemis' hand, and gently squeezed it. "We'll get through this, and we'll be fine."

The now black haired teen bowed a bit and hugged her mom's frail frame.

Lisa patted her daughter's arm, before exclaiming, "Now, Linda, we need to get you enrolled in school! It won't happen by itself!"

Artemis smiled, she had to get used to that name now, it'd be hers for quite a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes! Artemis is now Linda Park, the character from the comics, but I'm going to be taking creative liberty on things, so it won't just turn into a retelling of the comics.  
> And next chapter turns this into a future fic!


	7. Courage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo new chapter up! 
> 
> Okay so now we see Artemis in her new life, and a glimpse at what's been happening since she left.
> 
> Enjoy!

==8 years later

Artemis did a last minute check of her bag's belongings, and for the hundredth time, touched the manilla folder that held her resume, letting out a breath of relief. Here she was, Artemis Crock, now Linda Park, fresh out of Journalism college, and about to try and get a job at Central City News. She grabbed her keys and made her way to the door, before her nerves could get the best of her.

She exited the apartment and got onto the bus, still reeling from how far she'd come. Her mother still lived in Keystone, but Artemis wanted a bigger life for herself in Central City. She knew that a job with a news company would bring her closer to finding her dad, and taking him down.

Yes, despite her vow to Batman, she still wanted to catch the hated man, just to make him pay for all the damage he had done to her and her family. Her career as a journalist would help her accomplish just that; that wasn't to say she didn't like journalism, she had a crazy passion for it, it just got two birds with one stone. Plus it was either that, or the FBI, and Artemis knew her mother would have an attack if she became a cop. Paula became super protective of her child after their move, wanting her to reach a happy medium between staying safe, and being able to pursue her dreams, despite the hindrance of their new identities.

If Artemis had to be honest to herself, she had long accepted her transformation to Linda Park as a permanent one. At first she had been anxious every time someone knocked on the door or called their phone, wanting to hope Batman was coming in with the news she was desperately waiting to hear. But nothing came. After a couple of years, she just resigned herself to truly become Linda, leaving her hopes of Artemis Crock ever resurfacing behind; much less so Artemis, the hero.

She had seen the news a few years ago The Team's entry into the spotlight with a special celebration with the League, and she noted how they had grown in size and even the members she knew were now older. There was a new Robin, though she was sure the pesky original had grown into Nightwing, who also made his debut then. It wasn't as though she had been expecting them to honour her or something, but it still hurt her that they seemed to have just forgotten her.

They had all moved on, and as she saw the bus approach her stop, she shook those memories out of her head, determined to not let those memories cloud her day.

==5 years ago

"Wow, hard to believe we're finally becoming a  _real_  team!" Wally was beside himself in joy. They were inside the Hall of Justice, waiting while the Justice League started preparing for the presentation later that day.

M'gann laughed, "We've always been a real team, Wally, we're just going public."

"Yeah, but it feels more real now." He saw Barbara had arrived, and was chatting amiably with Zatanna and Raquel. "Yo Rob, your girlfriend at 7 o'clock chatting with your ex-girlfriend."

Dick visibly stiffened, and he glared at Wally. "First of all, she's  _not_  my girlfriend, and secondly,I told you, it's Nightwing. There's another Robin now."

Wally scoffed. He then pinched Dick's cheeks and in a baby voice, replied, "But you'll always be our wittle baby Robin."

Dick swapped Wally's hands away, and gave his own version of the Batglare that he had been perfecting, and Wally had to admit, he was getting  _too_  good at it.

As the three girls got to where M'gann, Wally and Dick were standing, they all greeted each other, everyone excited.

Some minutes later, Conner entered the inner sanctum, going to where everyone stood, followed by Kaldur and the new Robin, the latter who was grinning widely. "Nightwing! I got my card! I'm B-13!" He ran to show the card to his older brother, who ruffled his hair affectionately. Robin let out a laugh, trying to get away from the hair ruffling."Cut it out you troll!"

"Congrats Rob, but remember to behave." Dick added, feigning his strict Batman voice.

"Yeah yeah." He suddenly got serious as he looked around them, as if realizing something.

"Whatcha thinkin' about, kid?" Wally asked, resting his elbow on top of the young kid's head, eating a banana.

Robin was so in his thoughts, he didn't even shove Wally's arm away, as he would've usually done. "How come I'm the thirteenth member, and there's only 11 of us? I know Red Arrow's off to find his clone, but who's the other person?"

Wally removed his arm from on top of Robin's head, growing fidgety, and looking away. "It's a long story."

"We haven't heard it" Rocket interjected, "Plus until Donna comes back getting Kaldur's buddies, it'll take a while, so spill!"

The original five members of the Team were quiet. None of them wanted to start.

Wally finally cleared his throat. "Her name was Artemis..."

==Present Day

...and she was scared shitless as the elevator arrived at her floor with a lurch and a ding! She took a right as soon as the doors opened, and made her way into the CCN office, stopping at the receptionist's desk. The woman behind the desk was busy chatting on the phone with someone, and held up a finger, signaling Linda to wait.

While she waited, she looked around the office, seeing the chaos of journalism, people rushing around and out to break a developing story. Here were her people, people that she felt connected with, much more than she probably would've with the Team before, or even after this ordeal, if the latter ever came to happening.

"May I help you?" The receptionist cleared her throat, smiling sympathetically at Linda's gaping expression at seeing the office.

The new reporter regained her composure, and smiled. "Yeah, I'm here to see Mr. Mercer?"

The secretary looked down at her planner and searched through the appointments. "Ah, you're Ms. Park correct?" Once Linda nodded, the other woman continued, "Just down this hall to the end, and take a right, third door down is Mr. Mercer's office, good luck."

"Thanks" Linda flashed a smile, and followed the instructions to the office of her potential new boss.

She froze a few feet away, hearing a thunderous voice exclaim, "Goddamit Vince, I don't need this guy framed up like a hero! Too many newspapers do that! Get some dirt on the Flash and smear it all over page 1!"

A scared man burst out of the office she was headed to, glasses askew, charcoal hair neatly pressed down with gel. He offered an apologetic smile to Linda, and presumably scurried back off to his desk. She took a deep breath, and knocked on the door gently.

"Come in," A gruff voice called out.

Linda went inside the room, taking a good look at the man she was hoping she could call her boss soon. His attitude certainly matched his voice, not looking the least bit sympathetic as he eyed her warily, a middle-aged brutish man. After a few seconds, he barked, "Well? What do you want?"

Linda was determined to not show any sign of fear or weakness, and without missing a beat, replied, "My name's Linda Park, I'm here for an interview regarding-"

"Ah, yes yes, sit down." He beckoned her over to the chair opposite his desk, and Linda sat on it, nervously fidgeting with her bag, placed on her lap. "So," he continued, grabbing a piece of paper from underneath the pile of chaos building on his desk, and she noted it was her resume. "Miss- Park is it? Well, here at Central City News, we take our jobs very seriously, making sure to bring people the news, the  _real_  news, not that fancy schmancy  _fairytale_  people want to hear. We question, we press, and we uncover the truth,  _always_. Are you able to uphold those standards?"

"Yes sir, I totally am." Linda nodded.

The interview went on for half an hour, him asking questions, her responding diligently. He nodded at her answers occasionally, leading her to believe she was doing fine, therefore boosting her confidence.

"Now, I'd like to know, what's your take on the Flash?"

Artemis' stomach dropped. She knew Wally was the Flash, she had seen the news report when the old Flash retired, and they made this huge ceremony where somehow Wally, in front of thousands of people, spun around fast enough to switch from his Kid Flash outfit to the crimson red of Flash, while the old Flash ran off, so Wally could take the center stage. She still held a hateful spot for him, for not being willing to understand her predicament, instead just being a sore loser for supposed taking over Red Arrow's place, which he hadn't even wanted.

Linda scoffed. "I hate him, I think he's a menace to society, with no care to this city, only to show off."

Mercer smiled widely, nodding. Before he could reply though, the guy she had seen earlier, Vince, burst in through the door. "Sir, there's trouble downtown, and everyone's off on another assignment-"

"Not a problem. Ms. Park here will do just fine. Vince, go get the equipment and ready the van, i just have a few last words to speak to her." Vince nodded and shut the door, while Linda turned back to her boss, brimming in anticipation to start her job so soon. "Now, Ms. Park, to me, there's no better way to test a person's skills, than a field test. So go out and do your report on whatever is happening, and depending on how it turns out, you might either start a wonderful career here, or have your shortest lasting job. Are we clear?"

"Very much sir, I won't disappoint." Linda got up and ran out of the office, bursting out onto the street, where Vince was waiting with the van started.

"There you are!" Vince smiled, seeing her jump onto the van, and he gunned it.

They heading to the site in what was probably borderline speed limit, the highway a blur rushing through her window. After a few minutes, when Vince turned and saw Linda hanging on for dear life, he smiled, wanting to break some of the tension, "And congrats on the job. Permanent or field test?"

"Field test" Linda blurted out, as he dodged a particularly slow mini-van, swerving around it, eliciting a round of honking and profanities aimed at him. "Is it a common thing?"

"Field tests or rush hour drivers?" Vince cheekily asked, knowing very well she was referring to the former. When he saw the glare she gave him, he added, "Yeah, Mercer loves putting people under pressure of delivering the news without screwing everything up."

"So, a lot of people get their jobs like this?" Linda asked, some relief in her voice.

Vince, distracted with the road, simply replied, "Nope, actually just the opposite."

"Great, no pressure or anything." Linda groaned; this wasn't going to be easy- if she managed to survive this trip. "Please tell me you aren't the usual driver?"

"Well, we're usually assigned partners, and I just became yours, so if you get the job, most likely yeah, I'm your new driver, so it's great for some bonding time!"

"I'll be sure to invest on some driving lessons for Christmas," Linda muttered, squeezing her eyes shut, toes curling as Vince crossed the entire highway in order to take the exit, nearly missing the concrete slab that would've impaled the van.

"Now, a few tips. Don't ramble, and make sure to get the interview, I don't care if you have to kiss the Flash-"

Linda whipped around to face him, all fear of the road in front of her forgotten. "Do  _WHAT_?!" She screeched, eyes wide.

"Yeesh, it's the Flash, not a diseased frog, chill." Vince replied, chuckling. When he saw Linda still holding the flabbergasted expression, he continued, "That's what we're heading towards, intrepid reporter, so if you forgot to brush your teeth, there's some mouthwash in the back."

Linda shook her head, trying to make sure she heard correctly. "I'm sorry, did you just say you're risking my life to drive at breakneck speeds to report on what the Crimson Moron is doing?"

"You do want the job right?"

"Well yeah-"

"Then yep." He turned to Linda, seeing disgust on her face as she resigned to her fate, slumping in her seat. "You and Mercer will get along so well, you guys can start the anti-Flash club! I mean really, he's a nice guy, I don't see the problem-"

Linda glared daggers at her roadmate, "The problem is that he's rude, selfish, inconsiderate-"

"Whoa! Okay, save the energy for frying  _him_!" Vince chuckled. When they arrived at the scene, he slammed on the breaks, and Linda thanked her belt for stopping her from going through the window. Vince turned off the engine and went to the back to grab the equipment.

"That's gonna hurt in the morning," Linda winced, massaging her right then burst out of the van, Vince in tow, and they ran to the site of the commotion.

"Oh also, don't forget, you're an acting reporter." Vince smiled as he handed her her microphone, and gave her the thumbs up.

"This is Linda Park, acting reporter for Central City News, coming to you live where the Flash is battling yet another villain to hit the streets. Let's get a close up now." And then Linda finally got a good look at the man who, as a teen, had made her very short tenure with the team an annoying one.

Flash was battling Captain Cold, who was shooting ice blasts in an attempt to freeze the hero. Of course every blast was consistently avoided, but they were instead hitting innocent bystanders, that the police were trying to evacuate from the area before more got hurt.

Vince himself was nearly iced, ducking with expertise, camera steady in his hand as he kept filming the scene before him. He made a gesture to Linda, trying to get her to talk more.

"As you can see here, Flash is going at it with Captain Cold, once again disregarding the safety of all bystanders, letting the freeze rays hit average citizens, who have no way of protecting ourselves. If he doesn't be careful, he's gonna be shattering some windows next!"

Behind the camera, Vince groaned internally, oh this was going to be a picnic.

==Some minutes later

Wally was seriously getting pissed with Cold. The guy never got the hint that no matter how many upgrades he made to his guns, he'd always be able to outmaneuver them. He finally managed to get close enough to punch him in face, knocking him out. After he handed Cold over to the police, he stepped over to the waiting crowd of reporters, anxiously hoping to somehow snag an interview with him.

Most of those women though, just wanted him to get close enough to get a smooch in, and as much as Wally loved the ladies, some of these reporters could be crazy stalker-ish. He then saw someone new, and boy she looked pissed. Her eyes, furiously glaring daggers at him every once in a while, seemed somewhat familiar to him, as he saw her recount the mess he'd just cleaned up. He figured it was anger for Cold, and that she maybe was someone he'd rescued before, and would probably throw her arms around her hero.

Boy was he wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tadaaaaa!
> 
> I left it at a cliff-hanger, aren't I nice? Anyway, I sometimes switch back between Artemis and Linda because Artemis still thinks of herself as Artemis, Linda's just the name she has now, so when she's thinking, I'll probably use Artemis, and when it's just her talking to other people, it'll be Linda.
> 
> Next chapter we get Linda going toe to toe with Flash, and meeting Wally! It'll take a while for those two to start seeing each other as anything more than nuisances, and we'll see how it goes!
> 
> Also, everything in the show happened, except no Artemis, since I really don't want to make a new timeskip backstory and then explain it all, not that it matters too much to the main fic, but I might switch back a few times, not too often, but to establish some things.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed it! I'd love it if you guys left reviews letting me know what you think!
> 
> Hezpeller


End file.
